


Cheeseburgers In Paradise

by kayura_sanada



Category: Marvel, Marvel 616
Genre: Cheeseburgers, First Signs of Love, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 16:56:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11925192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayura_sanada/pseuds/kayura_sanada
Summary: It was when Tony wiped the mustard off his face that Steve realized he was in love.





	Cheeseburgers In Paradise

Cheeseburgers. When he'd first met Tony Stark, dressed to the nines in a gray tuxedo and actual gold lapels, he'd never thought to see him in some Mom and Pop diner eating the All-American cheeseburger. The man had seemed the type to eat Grade-A steak and lobster tail every night. Polite, pleasant, and carefully distant, Tony Stark had been a wealthy patron and little more.

And then Molecule Man, and Steve Rogers had needed to face the fact that his two very different friends were actually the same.

This outing, truth be told, was partly due to that revelation – the knowledge that the distance between himself and Tony Stark, between himself and Iron Man, had disappeared with this last real secret. This last piece of the puzzle that showed his friends – friend – for who he truly was.

Before, Steve had been proud to be friends with the two amazing men. Now, he was in awe of the one.

A billionaire. A business owner, CEO of a major corporation that relied heavily on his own inventions. A man who gave his wealth and time to the Avengers and the people affected by their battles. The man who gave Steve a home without hesitation. And the brave, funny, down-to-earth warrior who never hesitated to head into the most dangerous battles by Steve's side, soaring above Steve's head, his second arm, his other shield. His brother. What seemed so obvious now still seemed so miraculous all the same.

This man in front of him, chowing down on a cheeseburger he held in one hand, had always been the inner, secret Tony Stark, the man who cared for his company and its people as if they were his own family, the man who had fallen to his own liquid demons, only to find the will to stand above, _the man who had made the Iron Man suit_. Watching this vision of a billionaire, hair perfectly coifed, goatee perfectly groomed, polo shirt carefully pressed, seeing him him gesticulate animatedly, his face lit like the sun as he spoke of his company's use of algae as a lighting resource – something Steve had only been peripherally aware of – something that now enraptured him, listening to Tony speak – he wondered how he had never seen it. How had he gone so many years knowing Tony Stark without ever seeing him like this? The light in the man's eyes reminded him of the bright visor of Iron Man's mask. The man shone like armor.

Steve found himself leaning forward in his seat, elbows on the table despite the manners drilled into him by his mother, barely remembering to eat his own food as he stared, captivated. Tony quoted Pepper, even made the move she often did, acting as if to flip his hair back. He linked his work, openly, for the first time, to his efforts to cut emissions from his armor. He laughed uproariously when Steve made a joke. When the waitress came by to refill their drinks, her eyes still wide even after a half hour of their presence, Tony thanked her by name without once glancing at her nametag.

But it wasn't until Tony cut himself off, pulling Steve out of his daze as he chuckled, leaned over the table, and swiped the edge of Steve's lips with his thumb, that something new and deep and troubling blinded him.

Tony kept talking, of course, oblivious, for once, of Steve's sudden preoccupation. The man's chuckle made Steve shiver, even as that callused thumb slid off his skin. The touch that had enflamed him suddenly left him cold in its absence. “Watch how you're eating, there, Winghead. You're making a mess of yourself.”

The words were soft, almost as intimate as seeing the old nickname formed on those lips. His heart skipped a beat.

Tony didn't lick his thumb, simply wiped it on a napkin and wrapped it once more around his burger. Nonetheless, Steve could not keep his eyes off the digit. He felt his cheeks burning. “You all right?” Tony asked. “Should I have just told you about the mustard?”

Steve could see Tony pulling away from him and quickly shook his head. “No. It's fine.” Tony didn't seem like he quite bought it, but he took Steve's hint and dropped the subject, as he always had when Steve hadn't known who he was. Worse even than the too-hot feeling bursting within him a moment ago was the sick, twisting feeling of losing what he'd only just begun to grasp. “Really, Tony.” He smiled. It came so naturally it nearly startled him. His hand itched to reach out. Following instinct, he did. His nerves thrilled at the contact, leaving him stunned speechless all over again. Tony's eyes widened. For a moment, a smile flickered on those lips. Wordlessly, Tony looked up at him. “It's fine. It's good to be with you like this.”

That smile flickered out again, lasting a bit longer this time. Who would have known Tony Stark could smile so hesitantly? “I'm glad. I'm enjoying it, too.”

His heart flipped. That hesitant smile finally blossomed. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.


End file.
